Community Gardening
A community garden is an area of land that is shared between a few or up to hundreds of people often in an urban or suburban area. There are many different types of gardens, which can be mended to in a variety of ways. The gardens can be privately or publically owned. Public gardens are accessible for the public to enjoy freely such as public parks, and private gardens are for the active gardener’s use only and it is their decision how to distribute the produce. Community gardens do more than grow nutritional produce, they also build tight communities including within the workplace. Abandoned parking lots and vacate areas are being revitalized into community gardens. The gardens promote healthy lifestyles in communities by providing fresh produce, plants and flowers'1.'The gardens bring communities together, and promote active lifestyles while preserving green areas'2'. Cargill’s Garden Currently, community gardens are a growing trend, even among companies and corporations. An example of a private garden that consists of hundreds of gardeners working collectively in the upper Midwest is Cargill located in Wayzata. The backyard of Cargill is filled with a variety of produce. The garden is just one convenient method for its employees to give back to the less fortunate. They donate the fresh fruits and vegetables to three different local nonprofits, which are Second Harvest Heartland, Open Arms and ICA Food Shelf (a local food shelf in Minnetonka). In addition to donating the produce, Cargill is also addressing food banks and meal plan programs with it. Many low-income families and individual recipients would normally go without nutritionally meals, but because of community garden like Cargill’s, that is not the case3. It has over 600 employees that contribute to its two gardens. Last year Cargill donated over 6,000 pounds of produce to low-income families and continue to make a health difference in Minnesota4. Benefits When residents come together to care for their community gardens, they gain a personal sense of pride with their participation. This is because it teaches to be more self-sufficient and instills a greater sense of respect for the environment. Community gardens are a growing trend in the classroom. Elementary schools a s well as universities are participating in growing sustainable gardens. It teaches students how to successfully grow and produce fresh food5. ' Conclusion' The purposes of community gardeners are to bring communities together, promote healthy active lifestyles while preserving green areas, but they do much more6. As they assist in revitalizing neighborhoods, they also promote physical and emotional development7. Companies like Cargill have been making a huge contribution with its community. These gardens even bring community members closer together, which has proven to reducing crime8. It doesn’t matter how old someone is, where they come from, or how much income they have, anyone can have a community garden, and many will benefit from them. Sources 1. 1. Gretchen, Needham. "How Does Your Garden Grow?" Parks & Recreation 34.8 (2008): n. pag. Parks & Recreation. Web. 2. 2. "Home | American Community Garden Association." American Community Garden Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. 3. 3. "Community Gardens: The Facts." United We Serve. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. 4. 4. "Hunger-Free Minnesota/Cargill Community Garden." YouTube. YouTube, 23 May 2012. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. 5. 5. Gretchen, Needham. "How Does Your Garden Grow?" Parks & Recreation 34.8 (2008): n. pag. Parks & Recreation. Web. 6. 6. "Urban Agriculture - Community Gardening." Urban Agriculture - Community Gardening. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. 7. 7. "Community Gardens: The Facts." United We Serve. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. 8. 8. "Home | American Community Garden Association." American Community Garden Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.